When the People We Love Don’t Recognize Who We’re Becoming

Three breaths to help us stay rooted in who we are and in who we want to continue becoming. Especially when old relationships and expectations try to pull us toward who we’ve been.

Photo by chris robert on Unsplash

Here in the U.S., it’s almost the holiday season again. And with it comes a question I find myself asking every year: Who do I want to be with the people I’ll spend time with? In the spaces I’ll find myself in?

There’s something about gathering this time of year. Many of us find ourselves back in living rooms and around dining tables that hold a lot of history. Places and people that once shaped our sense of self and our understanding of the world.

Places that can call us back to old versions of ourselves. Old roles. Old stories. Old ways of being with one another.

Or maybe this year, people are coming to you — into the home you’ve made your own. That can bring its own questions. How do I protect my peace here? How do I stay true to my values and what matters to me, while making space for people who may not see things the way I do?

Maybe you’ve been changing in slow, steady ways. Growing into your values. Finding ways to live them out in your…